Xiao Wei from the Trace Investigation Department, who was waiting downstairs, changed into his gear and took photos along the way to collect evidence.
Then, together with his colleagues, they carefully entered the green belt to search and quickly found the foreign object that Li Nan had pointed out.
"Captain Li, it's a balloon!"
Xiao Wei glanced at the things in his hand and was quite certain that they were three tattered balloons.
Li Nan, who was upstairs, nodded and went back outside with Yang Bairong.
"This balloon was filled with water, a water balloon?" Li Nan took the broken balloon and examined it for a moment, then glanced at the window upstairs.
"It seems that Zhang Qiqi must have heard the sound of the balloon hitting the window and came to check, only to find Peng Yuanyuan there!"
"But where did the balloons come from?"
Li Nan used a fingerprint light to examine the balloon, and no fingerprints were found on it.
Li Nan looked around. If the balloon was dropped nearby, it should have been recorded on the surveillance footage.
Ma Jie had watched the video more than once with his "titanium alloy dog eyes" and found nothing unusual.
Therefore, there is only one possibility: the murderer shot this place from nearby using some kind of launching device.
Near Building 38, there are Buildings 33, 37, and 41 that meet this condition, with an average distance of less than 50 meters.
Buildings 29 and 45 are more than 100 meters apart in a straight line. It would be quite difficult to accurately shoot a water balloon the size of a goose egg onto a window using only a crossbow.
Li Nan pulled Yang Bairong aside and said, "Old Yang, let's find out from the property management company who lives in these five buildings!"
Even though buildings 29 and 45 are quite far apart, Li Nan did not easily rule them out as suspects; if an investigation was to be conducted, a comprehensive investigation was necessary.
There were no footprints left in the green belt outside the window, and Li Nan and his group easily obtained this small piece of evidence. It seems that the murderer did not think things through so thoroughly.
However, there is another possibility: since the green belt is outside, once people come in to pick up the balloons, they will inevitably leave footprints.
Should this be considered the murderer's meticulous planning or a single oversight?
Yang Bairong quickly brought the property manager over; she was a very young woman.
"Ms. Luo, who lives in these houses?" Seeing the nameplate on the other person's chest, Li Nan knew that the property manager was named Luo Yufei.
Actually, Yang Bairong had already told Luo Property about his needs on the way. Luo Yufei opened her tablet and showed it to Li Nan, "Officer, look, buildings 33 and 41 are currently vacant and have not been sold yet. Building 29 belongs to Mr. Zhang from the real estate company, building 37 belongs to Dean He, and the registered owner of building 45 is Ms. Liao."
"Do they all live here regularly? We'd like to find out more about them!"
"According to the property management's information system, the two households in buildings 29 and 37 are a married couple who live here permanently, while the owner of building 45 does not live here permanently and only comes here occasionally to pay the property management fees and water and electricity bills."
Lakeside is a high-end residential community. Property management fees are usually paid annually, while water and electricity fees are more flexible. They are usually paid every six months, or a larger amount can be paid upfront and the remaining amount can be paid later.
The owners of Building 45 last paid their water and electricity bills three months ago, and the next payment is expected to be in June.
Li Nan nodded in understanding, and then, led by the property management staff, conducted a brief inquiry with the two resident households.
Both wives were housewives who stayed at home year-round. During the questioning, Li Nan was almost certain that they had nothing to do with the murderer.
As for Building 45, just by looking at it from the outside, you can tell that it has been neglected for a long time.
Li Nan didn't have a search warrant, so it wasn't convenient for him to enter. However, judging from the fact that no one had lived there recently, this place shouldn't be one of the murderer's hideouts.
Along the way, Luo, the property manager, and Yang Bairong chatted. Luo sighed, "I can't understand the thinking of rich people. Look at this family, the grass is growing so lushly, but they don't take care of it. Yet they still come to pay the property management fees and water and electricity bills on time. It's really strange."
Yang Bairong asked, "Don't they not come to stay often? Why are there still water and electricity bills?"
Luo Yufei looked at Yang Bairong as if he were an idiot. "Officer, you probably don't cook at home, do you?"
Yang Bairong nodded. "Just an old bachelor, always grabbing something to eat nearby."
Luo, the property manager, laughed and said, "That's right. Nowadays, almost every household has a refrigerator. Once it's turned on, it's usually left running. This household's electricity bill isn't high, and I reckon it's mostly from the refrigerator's power consumption."
Yang Bairong chuckled. Seeing his expression, Li Nan couldn't help but smile as well. It seemed that the bachelor Yang was interested in the young girl.
Should we create some private space for them later?
For the other two unsold villas, Luo Property opened the door for Li Nan and his group, but did not accompany them inside to view them.
Li Nan thoughtfully left Yang Bairong outside to protect Luo Property, while she took Xiao Wei and another colleague from the Traceability Department inside to investigate.
The result was far from ideal. There were numerous footprints inside the house. Because it was an unfinished house, it was drafty and difficult to determine whether there were any recent footprints.
According to Li Nan's speculation, given the murderer's meticulous modus operandi, even if he committed the crime in these two buildings, he would have carefully erased the traces.
The murderer would surely have thought of such a simple method as aging footprints.
Arriving at the basement level of the villa, Li Nan felt a chill run down her spine upon seeing the unused keypad door.
It seems the killer knew this place very well; the vacant villa didn't have a keypad door, and the security cameras on the door weren't working. If the killer had entered or exited through here…
Thinking of this, Li Nan gave herself a hard slap on the forehead. "There are no security cameras here, but the property management of the community has them!"
Thinking about it, Li Nan went back outside, intending to ask Luo Property Management for the basement surveillance footage.
Back outside, I saw only a man and a woman standing awkwardly.
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